Is Bigfoot on Chestnut Ridge? Derry's Railroad Days offers sightings tour

Bill Rigby believes he had a face-to-face encounter with Bigfoot several years ago in Ohio.

On Saturday, he’ll guide passengers on a Derry bus tour of sightings of the legendary creature closer to home — on portions of Chestnut Ridge overlooking the town.

Offered five times throughout the day, the tour is part of a range of Bigfoot-themed activities that have been added to the annual Derry Railroad Days festival, set for 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Inspired by reports of possible Bigfoot activity on the ridge, festival organizers will offer free photo opportunities with a Bigfoot stand-in, next to a carved statue of the huge, hairy critter in Derry’s downtown Mossback Park.

Rigby, of Sharon, and other Bigfoot researchers will have displays on the festival grounds, surrounding the intersection of Chestnut Street and Second Avenue. A former Bolivar-area resident, Rigby will give a talk about his Bigfoot-related experiences at noon on Sunday.

For the tour, Rigby has drawn upon information compiled by other Bigfoot investigators, including Greensburg’s Stan Gordon.

“I’ve got 19 pages of (sighting) reports for Chestnut Ridge, mainly around the Derry area, since August of 1973,” Rigby said.

At a festival booth for the investigative group he has founded, Agents of the Unexplained, Rigby plans to display a plaster casting of a possible Bigfoot footprint discovered near the village of Hillside, along the ridge northeast of Derry.

“I’m very excited about it,” Rigby said. “I used to ride a quad over the ridge from Bolivar to Hillside. I miss my Chestnut Ridge.”

Rigby said his group’s goals include uncovering the essence of Bigfoot.

“We’re trying to figure out what this is and why it does what it does,” he said.

Close encounter?

Rigby said he got a little too close for comfort to the subject of his investigations when he came within about 15 feet of what he thinks could have been a Bigfoot creature four years ago along a park trail near Cambridge, Ohio.

“With my peripheral vision, I saw movement inside the tree line, and it was there — leaning toward me, staring at me,” Rigby said. “It totally shocked and scared me.”

He said he beat a quick retreat along the trail, but not before noting some of the creature’s features: dark brown hair, darker skin, a muscular build, a flat nose, a wide mouth and a protruding ridge above its eyes.

This is the second year organizers have expanded the scope of the Derry festival, to celebrate the growing fascination with Bigfoot as well as the town’s origin as a key maintenance depot along the main line of the Pennsylvania Railroad between Altoona and Pittsburgh.

“That went over fairly well last year,” said Pat Showalter, chairman of the festival committee.

Parade to feature youth court

A new feature for this year’s festival is selection of a Derry Railroad Days queen and princesses, which occurred at a Sept. 6 youth pageant at Derry Area Middle School. A king and princes were determined through an essay-based contest.

Court members received scholarships, including $1,000 each for the queen and king, and will be part of the festival parade.

More than 30 units also will take part, including some classic cars, the Jaffa Shriners Lil’ ‘Vettes, the Southwestern Pennsylvania Firefighters Pipes and Drums and a local kazoo band. The parade begins at 10 a.m. Saturday at A.V. Germano Hall on Second Street and ends at Route 217 and Third Avenue.

A lineup of bands will perform each day of the festival.

Festival merchandise including T-shirts, mugs and train whistles will be sold in a restored caboose at the north end of South Chestnut Street.

A shuttle bus will run between the caboose and parking available at the middle school, 994 N. Chestnut St.

Visit derryrailroaddays.com and the Derry Railroad Days Facebook page for more festival details.